There are many areas in the country where a fresh water supply is not readily available, has become contaminated, or is not satisfactorily purified before it is allowed into public use. Unfortunately, the number of areas faced with such problems is continually increasing. As a result, there has been a dramatic rise in the popularity and use of bottled water. Such water is readily available in small, portable bottles at local supermarkets and the like for convenient for drinking in the car, at the gym, or other distant locations. However, purchasing numerous small containers of water is neither an economical nor practical way to meet all the water needs of households or businesses.
To more efficiently meet such high water demands, water distributing companies deliver bulk quantities of purified water, typically distributed in five-gallon bottles. Water dispensing units, designed specifically to hold a five-gallon bottle of water, are often used in conjunction with the bottles so that the water is easily and immediately accessible upon demand. The dispensers are manufactured in a variety of configurations, but generally all are open at the top so as to accept the mouth of a five-gallon water bottle.
However, there are several obstacles that frequently inhibit the process of securing a full bottle in the dispenser. First of all, full five-gallon water bottles weigh more than 40 pounds. Since most water distributors drop off several full bottles at the door step periodically, a person must carry or drag all of the bottles to a storage area. As the water supply in the dispenser is depleted, each heavy bottle must be transported from the storage area to the dispenser. This task alone requires substantial strength. An even greater problem is that most water dispensers are either positioned on a countertop, or are designed with a substantial vertical height. While this allows water to be easily accessed from a standing position, it means a great deal of physical strain is required to raise the 40 pound bottle of water up to the height of the dispenser. But perhaps the greatest difficulty is trying to properly position the bottle on the dispenser. This process requires that the bottle be raised above the dispenser and quickly inverted and placed into the dispenser's top opening.
Obviously then, this entire process of transporting, lifting and inverting the bottles requires a great deal of dexterity and physical strength, and is completely impossible for many people, especially the elderly and those suffering from back problems. For those who are healthy, improperly lifting and transporting the full bottles can cause pulled muscles, strains and even permanent injury. Even those in prime condition often have difficulties with the inversion procedure, as it is somewhat awkward and, if not done quickly and properly, results in a great deal of water spills from the bottle. Thus, to successfully complete the process often requires at least two people, and even then the task is difficult.
There are numerous devices that can be used to facilitate the transport of the bottles to the storage area or dispenser, such as a dolly, a cart, a wagon, a skateboard, or any other type of device with wheels and a support base. However, these devices are only useful for transporting the bottles, and, as such, a great deal of effort is still required to lift the bottles onto the transporting device, raise them up to the height of the dispenser and invert them into the proper dispensing position.
Likewise, there are several types of hoisting apparatuses known to the public that could be used to raise the bottles up to the necessary height. Generally, hoists provide a mechanical advantage that significantly decreases the amount of work required to complete the task at hand. Thus, while such devices would decrease the work necessary to raise the bottle, they are of no use in the transport and inversion of the bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,947, issued to Peter Schwartz (1993), discloses a device intended to aid in the process of inverting water bottles onto the dispenser. As disclosed, the device includes a pair of straps that encircle a large bottle, pass through a tightening element and a pair of adjusting elements, and are each secured at the ends to a handle. According to the reference, in operation, the straps encircle the bottle at a ridge near the neck, and the adjusting elements are positioned on either side of the bottle so that the handle can be lifted straight up from the bottle and engaged to carry the bottle upright. To invert the bottle, the straps are repositioned so that they encircle the bottle at the ridge near the bottom, and the adjusting elements are slid together on the same side. The bottle is lifted with one hand on the bottle's neck and the other on the device's handle, using the device as a pivot to invert the bottle.
Although the pivot feature in this device aids in the inversion process, it still requires that the user carry a significant portion of the bottle's weight. While the reference recommends grasping the handle and using the device to carry the bottle upright, this technique does not lessen the burden of transporting the bottle. In fact, to carry the 40 pound bottle in such a manner requires a tremendous amount of arm and hand strength, and is even more difficult and dangerous than simply using traditional carrying techniques. In addition, the Schwartz 's device provides no help in raising the bottle to the height of the dispenser.
Without a doubt then, there is a clear need for a single device that can greatly reduce the work involved in the transporting, lifting and inverting of large water bottles, thereby allowing people of all strength levels to enjoy the benefits of a purified water dispenser. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as described in the following summary.